There are more rumors from Star Wars' Abu Dhabi set. Reviews are mixed for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Robopocalypse may happen soon. And the Orphan Black writers already have the endgame for the show in mind. Plus, details about the season finales of Arrow and Game of Thrones. Spoilers now!

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Top image: Orphan Black

Star Wars

Let's spend some more time on Tatooine rumors. First up, the photos in Abu Dhabi have kicked up a storm of speculation. The original source seemed to think the prop they saw was a part of an escape pod. Now, it's looking more likely that it's the foot of an AT-AT, seen on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. You can see a comparison between the new prop and the movie at the link. [Screen Crush]

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The other rumor circulating following the photos is that this isn't preparation for filming, but that J.J. Abrams and some cast members have already been on set and filming for a while. The idea is that Disney's "mid-May" announcement is a smokescreen to hide the filming already going on. The real question is whether it's just some minor scenes or a way to try to film things that they want to keep hidden. [Star Wars Episode 7]

That's not actually a huge leap, since Disney chairman Alan Horn told The Hollywood Reporter few weeks ago that they were actually shooting "some of it now." [The Hollywood Reporter]

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

More reviews are starting to trickle out about the sequel, and they continue to be mixed. Peter Hoskin of the Spectator calls it a too-stuffed "stuffed-crust pizza":

[T]hat won't leave much tolerance left for The Amazing Spider-Man 2's amazingly convenient plotting. To streamline decades' worth of comics and convoluted back stories, Webb and his writers devise a solution that is at once smart and extremely silly: they link everyone to the same workplace. Spider-Man's parents? Killed while on the run from Oscorp. Spider-Man's girlfriend? Employee of Oscorp. Spider-Man himself? Result of a scientific accident at Oscorp. Bad-guy the First? Also the result of a scientific accident at Oscorp. Bad-guy the Second? Also the result of a scientific accident at Oscorp, and son of the founder of Oscorp. You can only assume that, with a history and safety record like that, this company is too big to fail. I bet the government has bailed it out a hundred times.

. . . Thus we're pushed by a heavy hand to the film's conclusion. What happens? Someone from the studio actually stood up before the screening to ask that we refrain from dealing in spoilers, so I won't reveal anything here. But I will say that it's almost as excessive as the beginning. There's slow motion. Copious computer effects. Even more slow motion. Cogs and distractions. And then…well, the comics did this simpler and better in the Seventies. Thanks to what's gone before, this emotional climax isn't totally without the emotion bit. But it still plays like a cheap music video.

And then we have Cameron Williams' more positive review, saying that the sequel "such a massive improvement over its predecessor that it may cause whiplash." More specifically, it gets Peter Parker's struggle exactly right:

Peter Parker's struggle to maintain the equilibrium between his superhero life and an adolescent existence has always been the most engaging part of the character throughout his 50 year occupancy of pop culture. Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner (re-writing an early draft by James Vanderbilt) compress Parker's juggling act into his relationship with Stacy. The chemistry between Garfield and Stone is weapons grade romance, yet they manage to exist as two strong personalities being drawn and propelled away from each other. Stone manages to break the bonds of the superhero love interest stereotype to make Stacy strong, witty and independent. Garfield fills the boots of Spidey with the infectious enjoyment of being the hero while showcasing the heavy burden his decisions have on his normal life. Parker feels guilt over the dangerous situation his union with Stacy creates and it's the precipice that Kurztman, Orci and Pinkner hang all the major conflicts. Each tumultuous part of Parker and Stacy's relationship is interrupted by villainous deeds as if to exemplify the rocky elements of their association, and the sign posts for tragedy appear. Webb handles one of the most crucial elements of Peter Parker's evolution as hero brilliantly and Garfield is more than capable to give it the emotional punch needed.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

And here's an international trailer, that's pretty similar to the U.S. trailer that came out the other day:

Robopocalypse

Sounds as though Steven Spielberg is still considering directing this movie in the relatively near future — an update about another one of his upcoming films, the period drama The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara says that he'll probably direct something else before Mortara. And the leading candidates are Robopocalypse and an Aztec drama called Montezuma. [Hollywood Reporter]

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Maleficent

Here's a featurette:

Game of Thrones

Director Alex Graves told viewers when they could expect to see Tyrion and Tywin Lannister really work out their issues, once and for all:

Yeah, there's a confrontation between the father and son but that's in the final episode. Episode 10 of the season is, you know, as David and Dan will tell you, it's the first true finale they've ever done and it's really the episode to end all episodes. It's the largest episode they've ever made.

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For those who have read the books, that seems to indicate that a certain significant event will happen in the finale. [Deadline]

Alfie Allen previewed a mostly-voiceless season for Theon/Reek:

It gets dark. I don't think people will find it as hard to watch this year. It depends what kind of person you are. It's more of a mental torture than it is physical. It's daunting as an actor. I have to do more telling of the story with my eyes than with words. I've never really done that type before.

So not as much screaming?

Yeah, not so much this time. Oh, actually, there is some hoarse-throat moments for me, so look forward to that.

Orphan Black

Jordan Gavaris, who plays Felix, said that the writers know where they want everyone to end up, even if they don't know how exactly they'll chose to get there:

The writers have an endgame. They know how it ends.

I think in terms of how they get there, it's sort of like starting a road trip in Toronto and going to Los Angeles. There are about 150 different ways you can go, and you can exchange on different highways or you can take the direct route.

I think it'll depend on the show's popularity, it'll depend on a lot of different things as to how many detours we take or just how bumpy the road is, or if we go straight for the money and we go straight for the meat.

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Gavaris also said that season 2 will get going much faster than season 1, since there will be less setting things up and more follow through. [Times Colonist]

Gavaris also talked about the new situations Felix will find himself in season 2:

I think last season Felix was very much Sarah's partner in crime. But this season things get more complex because he's forging relationships with people outside of Sarah. We see a bit more of his life. We have a more intimate look at it, knowing it's not all contingent upon what Sarah's doing. He is a person outside of his sister and it's really him getting caught in the crossfire and in the crosshairs of what is happening. He is wearing a target right now. Many of the characters I'm sure will be tested. Alison is in not the greatest place. She's hit rock-bottom and is feeling tremendous guilt over Aynsley. And Sarah is in a war with Rachel, and Cosima is sick. There's a possibility that there will be severe degradation of these relationships and Felix is the glue that holds them all together.

Arrow

Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg explained the role STAR Labs has in Arrow:

We knew a lot of the fans had been interested in seeing a little bit of Flash in the season and we felt obliged to fulfill that promise. When we were talking about the idea of the cure, what if STAR Labs is the one who starts to figure out the cure?"

It felt like a fun way to bring up Barry, remember where he's at and give a little taste of the show. Even Doctor Light's gun — it's not something we typically do on Arrow, it's a little bit more sci-fi-y — but for us, it felt a little bit more like you got a glimpse into what kinds of things the Flash would be up against more than what was coming into our world.

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He also gave a little preview of the end of the season:

It's a race against the clock, these last episodes. Act five of 2x21, the show pretty runs in real time from that point on through the last episodes.

The mirakuru sends Roy (Colton Haynes) into an uncontrollable rage and he unleashes on the city. After Roy's deadly fight with a police officer, Oliver (Stephen Amell) realizes the mirakuru has taken over Roy completely and must figure out a way to stop him. Things get more complicated after Sara (Caity Lotz) declares that Roy is too far gone and the only way to stop him is to kill him. Meanwhile, Thea (Willa Holland) believes she can breakthrough to Roy so she goes on camera at Moira's (Susanna Thompson) campaign rally to lure him to Verdant. Her ploy works but after Roy attacks Thea, Team Arrow unleashes on him

Once Upon Time

Producers Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz say that they would like to bring the Frozen princesses to Once Upon a Time, with their actual voice actresses playing the roles in live-action. Kristen Bell told E! Online that she'd "love that so much." [E! Online]

Agents of SHIELD

Exectutive producer Jeff Bell previewed the show's take on Blackout:

[Blackout is] the antagonist, in the same way we've used other Marvel characters as antagonists in the episodes. At the same time, we're dealing with the fall-out of what happened with S.H.I.E.L.D., and the viewers finding out about Ward and what's going on over there, so there's a lot going on.

Was there any particular reason for introducing him now, as opposed to an earlier point in the season?

Emotionally, he's perfect. Here's a character who absorbs light, and one of the things he says to Audrey — which is the title of the episode — he refers to her as "the only light in the darkness." And his obsession with the cellist is a beautiful metaphor, I think, for who Coulson is to her, who she is to Coulson, who S.H.I.E.L.D. is to the world…and the idea of S.H.I.E.L.D. falling apart, and Hydra coming out and darkness speaking, the idea of having Blackout as an antagonist seemed perfect.

Salem

Sammi Hanratty will play recurring character Dottie, whom Mercy knows from school. She's confident and takes on making her classmates talk to Mercy, whose power she is in awe of and has a particular use for. [Deadline]

The Originals

Here's the official description of May 6's "The Battle of New Orleans":

BLOOD IS IN THE AIR — Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) enact a plan to collect the sacred stones needed by Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) in order to forever change the fates of Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) and the werewolf community. Realizing that Klaus' plan will lead to the extermination of all French Quarter vampires, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) rallies an army determined to take down the Mikaelsons and regain control of the city. Davina (Danielle Campbell) warns Josh (guest star Steven Krueger) to leave town as she is forced to make a fateful decision that will turn the tide of war. Meanwhile, Francesca (guest star Peta Sargent) threatens Cami (Leah Pipes), who attempts to decipher a code that results in a surprising revelation among the city's factions. Jeffrey Hunt directed the episode written by Charlie Charbonneau & Michael Narducci (#121).

Continuum

The 100

The Vampire Diaries

Here's the description for May 8's "Promised Land":

OUTRUNNING DEATH — When Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) escape from Markos' (guest star Raffi Barsoumian) control, only to find themselves stranded in a remote location, Stefan gets philosophical with Elena about her relationship with Damon (Ian Somerhalder). After their attempt to protect the dopplegangers goes badly, Liv (guest star Penelope Mitchell) and Luke (guest star Chris Brochu) come up with a dangerous new strategy. Damon recruits Matt (Zach Roerig) and Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) to help him set a trap for Markos, who turns out to have a devastating surprise of his own. Bonnie (Kat Graham) finally admits to Caroline (Candice Accola) that she's been keeping the truth about the Other Side from everyone. Finally, while Bonnie searches desperately for a way to stop Markos, Caroline is witness to an unthinkable act of violence by one of the Travelers. Michael Allowitz directed the episode written by Rebecca Sonnenshine (#521).

Star-Crossed

Here's the synopsis for "This Trick May Chance to Scathe You":

ROMAN AND DRAKE TEAM UP WITH GRAYSON — After Roman (Matt Lanter) and Drake (Greg Finley) discover the Trags are building a bomb known as a Suvec, they realize they need help and turn to an unexpected source – Grayson (Grey Damon). Emery (Aimee Teegarden) enlists Sophia (Brina Palencia) and Lukas (Titus Makin Jr.) to help them smuggle the Suvek out of the sector, which ultimately puts all of them in danger. Meanwhile, Teri (Chelsea Gilligan) continues her mission. Elizabeth Allen directed the episode written by Brian Studler & Samantha Stratton (#112).